Elephant dung has plopped itself down at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW), in the form of recycled journals, stationary, notebooks and books.
The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Co. and Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services have teamed up to bring the products to an airport gift shop, Gayle’s Chocolates.
“Here in Detroit, we know our customers are always looking for new, fun and unique gifts, so when I met Elephant Poo Poo Paper Co. at our Delaware North retail summit, and saw what they had to offer and how wonderful they were to work with, I knew it would be perfect for us,” says Deanna Czapla, retail manager for Delaware North Companies at Detroit Metro Airport. “Their product is perfect, especially now that ‘eco-friendly’ practices are becoming more common everywhere, every day.”
All of the company’s products are made from recycled, sterilized African and Asian elephant excrement. The cleaned fibers are mixed with banana tree and pineapple fibers, made into small cakes and dried in the sun. From that, paper is formed and transformed into their product line.
“I think our products are the right ones at the right time,” said Michael Flancman, founder of Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper. “People are concerned about the environment and preservation, and our products offer a sophisticated, humorous and eco-friendly approach that’s unique.”
The move is the latest environmental effort by Delaware North. Green Path, its companywide environmental management system, helps it reduce overall discharge and emission of wastes to all environmental media. The company also tries to choose environmentally friendly vendors.